Featured Artists
Louise Innes
Mezzo Soprano
Louise made her Covent Garden debut singing Mercedes (Carmen) and she returned there to sing Javotte in a production of Manon (Massenet) touring to Japan and La Scala, Milan. She has also sung the role of Mercedes at the Opera Comique in Paris and in the Palacio Carlos Cinco at the Alhambra, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the title role in Carmen for Opera North. More recently she sang the title role in Orfeo (Gluck) for Scottish Opera Unwrapped, Sesto La Clemenza di Tito at Opera North, Annina La Traviata at West Green House and Sofia Risurrezione and Hua-Qui L’Oracolo at Wexford Opera Festival.
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In oratorio her performances include Messiah in Barcelona with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She performed Beethoven Mass in C at the St Magnus Festival, Orkney and Duruflé Requiem with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle with the Dunedin Consort, Mendelssohn Elijahin York Minster and Verdi Requiem in Ripon Cathedral, Bach Magnificat with the Northern Sinfonia at The Sage, Gateshead, Elgar Music Makers and Brahms Alto Rhapsody in Sherborne Abbey and Bach St Matthew Passion and Juno (Semele) at The London Handel Festival under Laurence Cummings. She has sung Elgar Sea Pictures, Apostles, TheKingdom, Music Makers and Dream of Gerontius with Buxton Choral Society.
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Louise now regularly appears in Cabaret venues across the country with Charlie Bicknell and has developed a passion for singing in different styles, particularly jazz and musical theatre.
Louise teaches singing at Wells Cathedral School and Wellington School, Somerset.​
William Drakett
Baritone
William Drakett studied singing under Prof. Konrad Jarnot at the Robert Schumann Conservatoire in Düsseldorf, following organ and harpsichord studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. His vocal studies have been further enriched by masterclasses with artists including Brigitte Fassbaender, Juliane Banse, Hans Eijsackers, Neal Davies, Eric Schneider, Christianne Stotijn & Henk Neven.
William has performed on the stage in operatic roles including Sharpless (Puccini Madama Butterfly), Demetrius (Britten A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Aeneas (Purcell Dido and Aeneas) & Henry Higgins (Loewe My Fair Lady) under the baton of conductors including Vladimir Jurowski, Stefano Rabaglia, Duncan Ward, Ernst von Marshall & Thomas Gabrisch at venues such as the Düsseldorf Tonhalle, Cologne Opera & Bavarian State Opera. He is also in demand as a concert soloist in England and Germany in works.
William has a particular love of the art song repertoire, and enjoys collaborating with pianists including Hans Eijsackers, Benjamin Mead & Reinild Mees. He now lives in Wells where he is a Vicar Choral in the choir of Wells Cathedral.
Alex Rider
Harp
With interests encompassing period performance to the newest music, Alexander freelances with major ensembles throughout the United Kingdom. These include the Royal Opera House, the BBC Symphony, BBC Concert, BBC Philharmonic and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestras, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, English Touring Opera, Brighton Philharmonic, Chroma and (on the Erard harp) he appears with groups including the Gabrieli Consort and the Academy of Ancient Music.
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Alexander is noted for his affinity with French music at the turn of the last century, and for his work on original instruments of the period. He has conducted extensive research into the music and players of the time, delving into rich and often hidden histories. In this vein, and using a French Erard harp built in 1902, Alexander has given lecture recitals to great acclaim in the UK, Europe and the USA. In 2022, Alexander recorded ‘Fresque Marine’, a disc of rare French works for the harp, part of a new series for the Willowhayne label.
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Alexander studied with Gabriella Dall’Olio and Frances Kelly, and was a scholarship student of Imogen Barford at the Guildhall school of Music and Drama. From here, he graduated with distinction, and was subsequently honoured with a Guildhall Artists’ fellowship. He is a visiting guest tutor at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
